The wagon sped down the winding trail, its wheels rattling against the uneven earth as branches clawed past on either side. Loose blankets, cooking pans, and one of Ria's dolls were flung from the back, lost in the rush.
Renille held onto Ria's small body, praying she wouldn't fly off.
They crested a low hill, and the trees thinned just enough to reveal what lay ahead.
A small outpost. It was ravaged.
Tents were slashed open like gutted bellies, crates overturned, belongings scattered and trampled underfoot. The smell of ash lingered. There were no bodies, but clear signs of a hasty retreat: firepits still warm, half-packed satchels left behind.
Renille's voice was barely above a whisper. "Mother... what happened here?"
Anlene's brow furrowed. "We should head another way."
Rod tightened his grip on the reins. "But Father is still back there. He could be hurt. We should go back him up!"
Anlene shook her head sharply. "No, Rod. You'll only get in your father's way."
Those words stung for Rod, he was no small pup. One sword could make a difference.
Renille also kept looking back to the path there Father was left behind from. "But Mother, Father just jumped into the fight like that. He isn't even certain who the enemy is. We must go back for him"
"Your Father has an instinct of a warrior, he knows the situation well. Now everyone give a moment to think." Her words landed heavy. "We need to head to..." her knees giving out.
"Mother?" Renille reached out just as Anlene swayed.
"I can't... hold up... much longer..." Anlene murmured, before collapsing and the shield on their wagon disappearing.
"Mother!!" Renille cried, catching her just in time.
Rod steadied them both, Renilled too weak to hold onto her mother's unconscious body. "Is she alright?"
Renille felt her mother's forehead she was cold as ice "She must've ran out of mana."
"Big brother I'm scared!" Ria held onto Rin's hand. There mother's shield protecting them from the unknown now gone scared her.
"It's okay Ria, I'm here." Rin comforted but his hands were also trembling.
"Brother we must find a warm place for mother, or else she'll suffer in the cold night." Renille rushed to blanket their mother with her own cloak stripping herself off her sole protection against the freezing night.
Rod looked at their small party, two children and two ladies now under his protection. His father had entrusted him with this task and their safety was his first priority, "We should camp somewhere safe first."
The sun dipped below the tree line, dragging shadows like long claws across the forest. The fire Renille lit crackled softly in the quiet, its warmth chasing back the creeping chill of the woods.
They had made camp just beyond the outskirts of the outpost. A short distance from the road, they had found an abandoned travelers' campsite with a stone fire ring, a stack of dry firewood, and a few weathered tents still standing against the wind. It was far from comfortable, but it offered shelter for the night.
Beyond the campsite, they could see the outline of a larger caravan encampment. Wagons stood parked in a loose circle around covered crates and canvas-draped cargo. The sight stirred unease, but none of them ventured closer. Whoever owned it might return at any moment, and after the chaos of the day, they wanted no further trouble.
So they kept to the small roadside camp, staying close to the fire while darkness settled over the forest.
Ria gently dabbed a warm cloth over their mother's forehead. "Will Mother be okay?"
Rin, his brow furrowed in concentration, knelt by the rear wheel, tools scattered around him. "Big sis, I managed to fix the axle of the wagon."
"Thank you Rin have something to drink first." Renille handed him some brewed juice for recovery.
"Rod we have to take turns watching mother until father comes back." Renille stirred the sole pot that didn't fly out from the wagon's hasty retreat.
Rod paced like a caged wolf, scanning the dark trees beyond the camp, his hand ready to unseathed his sword
"We have to move forward when daylight breaks." he muttered.
Renille looked up, "But what about Father? We can't just leave him out there we have to go back for him or wait for his return!"
"We can't stay here, not with Mother in this condition."
Before the two of them could argue further, a sudden gust of wind swept over them a low whoosh that made the fire sputter and fading to small embers for a moment.
They froze.
Above, cutting through the starlight, came massive wings. A dragon descended from the clouds like a phantom. Atop it, the masked man from before.
He dismounted with the ease of a predator, his movements smooth, almost lazy. Ash-blonde hair caught the firelight like embers. Eyes like rubies glowed beneath the carved mask. His cloak billowed behind him like shadowed flame.
Rod assumed a fighting stance instantly, drawing his blade. "Stay back!"
The dragon snarled at the weapon pointed at its master.
The masked man cocked his head. "Who are you?"
Rod's grip tightened. "Who are you?!"
"Put that down." His voice was deep and dismissive. With one lazy lift of his finger, the man disarmed Rod, a flick of raw magic knocked Rod to the ground and his sword flying.
"Big brother!" Renille shouted.
Panicking, Rod did the only thing he could, he threw a fistful of dirt, just like his father had taught him. It hit the man's mask and chest, blinding him for a moment and drawing a scoff.
Rod scrambled to retrieve his sword but the dragon reacted before he could. Seeing its master attacked, the beast's tail swept forward a brutal, crushing strike aimed at Rod.
"No!" Renille screamed, instinctively casting a barrier between them . It erupted in a split second, shimmering blue with her crest. The tail hit the shield mid-swing—CRACK—and the dragon recoiled, letting out a furious, shrieking roar.
The masked man's red eyes snapped toward Renille.
Something cold and terrible passed through them.
A look that said:
How dare you?
The dragon's pupils narrowed.
A low growl rumbled from deep within its chest, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Smoke curled from between its fangs as it turned away from Rod and fixed its gaze on Renille instead.
Ria whimpered.
Rin froze.
Even Rod's face paled.
Renille felt her blood turn to ice.
But she squared her shoulders anyway, ready to cast again, even if it drained her completely. She might need to improvise a teleportation spell and get them all out.
Suddenly, another dragon rider swooped in landing among the party.
Although smaller by comparison to the first dragon this dragon was quicker. The rider's voice boomed deep. "Your Grace, wait!"
His hair was golden, like sunlight caught in motion. His eyes a deep, stormy gray.
"They may not be with the caravan from earlier, Your Grace," he called to the ash-blonde rider.
A third voice called from behind.
"Captain!"
Renille turned at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Father!" Ria and Rin cried, throwing themselves into Reyn's battered arms.
Reyn stumbled forward, bloodied and bruised but still standing. Arms wrapped tightly around both twins. His eyes, though weary, still burned with the sharpness of a seasoned warrior.
He turned to the golden-haired rider, who had dismounted and stood beside his dragon. The firelight gleamed off his polished armor.
"Captain Soren," Reyn said, addressing him with quiet deference, though the man was clearly two decades his junior. "This is my family. I sent them ahead when the chaos began." Her father Reyn introduced.
"My love!"
Any dignity he had maintained as a hardened warrior vanished instantly.
He rushed to Anlene's side, dropping to his knees so fast that one of the knights flinched.
"Anlene! My precious wife! Who did this to you? Are you hurt? Are you in pain? Why are you so cold?" He fussed over her with all the panic of a man who had forgotten he was covered in blood himself.
The golden rider paused and cleared his throat. He knew the new vice-captain was a family man but he didn't expect such a tender scene "Vice-Captain Reyn so this is your family. I'm glad we found them."
He turned briefly toward the silent ash rider of the large dragon.
"Your Grace," he added, "this is the new Vice-Captain and his family. He's accepted the new post with the Borderland Knights. We had planned to, "
But he could not finish his sentence because the ash-blonde rider mounted his dragon without a word. He shifted slightly in the saddle, glancing once toward Renille.
Renille's stomach turned. Your Grace?
Her thoughts raced. If Soren, a Captain of the Imperial Knights of the Borderlands, was addressing that man with such reverence, there was only one explanation.
That man is the Lord of the Borderlands... Malrick Lakanpili of the Lakanpili Clan.
Her pulse quickened. She glanced at Rod, still pointing his sword at Malrick. Rod... her brother... who had just thrown dirt at the most feared tyrant in the Empire.
She looked back at His Grace the Duke of the Borderlands. He however without a word tugged on the dragon's reins and turned away, his cloak snapping in the wind.
As he passed, the dragon gave a sharp flick of its tail.
It missed Renille by mere inches, striking nearby abandoned wagons, still loaded with opened cages and metal chains.
She stood her ground, unmoving, but the heat from the dragon's tail lightly kissed her cheek.
The strike had been deliberate.
Not an attack.
A warning.
A petty act of vengeance for daring to block his dragon's tail.
Renille swallowed.
It could have been far worse.
Nobles ordered for a commoner's head for not simply lowering their eyes at their presence. Let alone throwing dirt and injuring the Lakanpili's dragon.
The dragon flapped its wings, taking flight into the night sky with a deafening gust. Dust and embers swirled in its wake.
Renille looked up, eyes fixed on the fading silhouette.
Malrick didn't even glance back.
A silence settled over the camp, tense, smoldering.
Then, finally...
"Goodness. Could he be any more dramatic?" Captain Soren muttered, adjusting his gloves as if Malrick had merely thrown a tantrum rather than ravage an entire camp.
"Anlene, my love!" Reyn suddenly exclaimed, his worried sounds were now turning into mournful sobs "Why are you in such a state?!"
The twins were still clinging to both his side, wide-eyed and tear-streaked.
Nearby, Renille muttered dryly, "You're one to talk... look at you." She gestured to his bloodied, bruised form.
Anlene's eyelids fluttered open. She blinked, groggy and pale. "My love... you're covered in bruises."
Reyn gave a sheepish grin, just relieved she was awake.
Rod stepped forward, bowing his head with all the solemnity he could muster. "Father... it's my fault. I failed to protect Mother and my younger siblings. I drew my sword without thinking. I'll accept any punishment."
Renille tugged her older brother's ear sharply, as if she was the older sibling. "Big brother, I told you to think before you strike."
Meanwhile, their parents had drifted into a world of their own, cooing and embracing like newlyweds, despite the dirt and blood smeared across their faces. And completely unaware of the entire squad of Imperial Knights gawking at them.
Captain Soren arched a brow, arms crossed. "My, my. What a lively Vice-Captain we've recruited," he said with a chuckle. "I suppose the Borderlands won't be dull after all. We should probably head back to Thornmere Keep."